Qual Analyst

About Public First

Public First is a specialist consultancy, helping charities, philanthropists, public sector bodies and global brands improve public policy. Based in London, we have worked in more than thirty international markets. We are part think tank, part strategic consultancy, part research company, and part communications agency. In other words, we bring together the different disciplines that make policy happen and work. The Public First team has been recruited from the most senior levels of government, the civil service, Parliament, political campaigns, think thanks, opinion research and the media. Our staff have been, and continue to be, active in each of the main political parties. 

The Role 

The opinion research practice at Public First is expanding and we have an exciting opportunity to join at entry level as an analyst in its qualitative research team. This is a genuinely unique role in a small but impactful organisation where you will have the freedom to explore your interests, and have a real impact on the direction and strategy of the team. The opportunity would suit someone who is passionate about the role opinion research plays in policy design and politics and is excited by the prospect of travelling across the UK to spend time finding out what a certain town or group of voters thinks about a policy problem. 

Opinion research is at the heart of everything we do. Public First’s research covers a huge variety of topics. In the last year alone, the qualitative team has:

  • Conducted dozens and dozens of immersive research projects across the UK and abroad for clients on a range of topics from attitudes towards new infrastructure projects; their local high streets; or what people think about the level of taxes in this country.
  • Spent a week living in Port Talbot observing the impact the closure of the last blast furnace at the steelworks is having on the town.
  • Carried out focus groups and immersives for national newspapers such as The Times, New Statesman and Telegraph, on the political issues including a deep dive into the Newark constituency during the 2024 election.

We are looking for a candidate with experience delivering interesting and engaging research, who wants the opportunity to explore their interests in an environment that rewards independent thought and innovation. No role at Public First is the same as another, and given the variety of work that we do we do not hold many preconceptions about the candidate who would be best suited for this role. If you feel like you tick some of the boxes below, do not hesitate to submit an application.

In this role you would:

  • Moderate focus groups and immersive research projects, both online and in-person across the country. We expect there to be a significant amount of domestic travel in this role with the potential of international travel as we continue to grow. All our staff receive training before conducting qualitative research.
  • Manage the organisation of qualitative research across the company, recruiting focus groups, planning immersives and supporting the administration of team processes.
  • Assisting senior members of the qual team in research design, including writing discussion guides, and conducting analysis and writing up findings. 
  • Contribute in discussions and continually think about how to innovate our qualitative research offering.
  • Conduct desk research on specific policies, projects or parts of the country.

We are looking for someone with the following skills

  • Strong research skills: you don’t need to have a particular degree or a qualification related to qualitative research but we really value evidence of strong research skills.
  • Confidence conducting face-to-face research: a significant part of the role will be leaving the office and finding out what people think about certain issues. You will enjoy speaking to people either online or in person, and be comfortable asking someone if you can buy them a coffee or a drink and ask them a few questions.
  • Ability to analyse and then write clearly, incisively and precisely about public opinion: including the ability to analyse 50-60 conversations and translate them into accessible and concise briefings and reports.
  • A willingness to work flexibly and collaboratively across the organisation: including getting involved in different types of roles within a project (for example, data analysis. helping out on polling questions, helping craft press releases, or managing events in Westminster) as well as where needed, contributing to projects running in other subject areas

How to apply

  • Please submit a CV and complete the following two-stage task using this Google Form (spend 1 hour maximum)
  1. For the following question ‘how do reinvigorate left behind communities in the UK?’, select four different constituencies where you think it would be interesting to conduct qualitative research on this issue. Explain why you have selected the four constituencies in no more than 300 words.
  2. Consider how you might structure a conversation with voters to explore what they think about this issue, you want to get a top level understanding of; do they understand the problem; is it important to them; do they think there are any potential solutions. Turn this into a discussion guide which a moderator could use to lead a 1 hour discussion. We suggest writing this in bullet point form, this should not exceed more than one side of A4.
  • Closing date will be the 13th February 2025
  • Candidates will be assessed on a rolling basis, we encourage you to apply as soon as you can.
  • These will either be online or in person at our offices in Victoria, London.
  • We are expecting a high-volume of candidates and apologise that we won’t be able to contact each applicant individually regarding the status of their application.

Working arrangements and salary

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in employment and we would particularly like to encourage applications from women, disabled and ethnic minority candidates.

We work both in the office and from home, with core office hours Monday and Thursday. Our main office is based in Westminster. Many of us, including the founders, have young children and we work hard to be family friendly.  

Salary will depend on experience. For this role we expect salary to range for £25,000 – £30,000 depending on candidate experience.